Bruce Tran

My community extends far beyond the boundary of my street. It transcends physical distance and extends to the people who support me in what I do. Not only do they support me, but point out my flaws so I can improve myself. My community is made from the people who are willing to struggle with me against great odds. I am thankful for my friends and my community.

Instead of trying to tell you to not procrastinate, I will tell you how to do it because procrastination is almost inevitable. First thing first, do not worry about the project assigned to you until nine hours before it is due. Second, drink five cups of coffee and panic really hard. Third, throw together some sloppy work as fast as possible. And there, you have successfully procrastinated! But in all seriousness, procrastination will make your job very hard. Do not treat your assignment as homework but rather as duties you must fulfill. That is what helped me, I hope you found that useful.

Being a journalist is not only an opportunity but also a responsibility. There are many things I learned while working at accesslocal.tv over the summer that has improved me as a person and as a content producer. I wish to pass the things I have learned to you, the future Neighborhood News Correspondent. The biggest thing above all is to be yourself. Being yourself is what allows the articles and videos you produce to be unique. There are general guidelines to how you should make content but there are no rules that are set in stone. Every article you write and video you make will improve your skills as a journalist. It is a continuous learning experience that does not stop unless you decide to stop. I hope you will always grow when you are with the team.

On August 12th, the National Lawyers Guild of Sacramento held a lecture which focused mainly on what to do if you had any type of interaction with the police in public. The NLG brought in about a group of around 16 people to come and ask questions and learn about what do when a police officer stops you.

Many people shared their experiences and interactions that they’ve had with police and asked what they could’ve done instead in that situation. The NLG gave several points about what to do when a police officer approaches you.

“You do not have to show ID unless you are driving a motorized vehicle,” said the National Lawyers Guild representative when asked about showing ID to officers. “If officers try to speak to you, do not answer any questions. Anything you say can and will be used against you.”

NLG continued to speak about their very own experiences and how they’ve managed to get by. As the lecture went on, people talked about what they could do if they were at a rally. They even went into detail about tactics you could use such as picketing, sitting down, not yelling or swearing at police and video recording.

“If you are stopped, ask if you are being detained,” said the National Lawyers Guild representative. “If the police detain you, use the magic words to every officer who talks to you; I am going to remain silent I want to see a lawyer. You do not have to reveal your immigration status.”

As the lecture wrapped up, participants were given the opportunity to be put on an email list with details on what to do when police stop you. Also, the participants were given a paper with an overview of what was discussed.

If you need their services, you can contact the National Lawyers Guild at NLGsacramento@gmail.com or at 916/500-4NLG(654)

2017’s National Summer Transportation Institute provided an opportunity for AccessLocal.tv reporters to experience a taste of a college education and learn a little bit about careers in the transportation and energy efficiency industries.

This event was hosted by Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose. This program is sponsored and funded by a grant from the US Federal Highway Administration. It extends beyond just San Jose and it includes various college campuses around the country.

While AccessLocal.tv reporters only got to experience three days of this program, students from San Jose High School Independence High got to experience a 2-week camp. By the end of it all, participating students received 3 units of college credit.

“It was a great experience overall,” said Miranda Villarreal, a YMCA Youth in Government program participant. “I was excited and overwhelmed by the new faces I got to see. I got to meet really out going people and my roommate was such an amazing person. What was interested me most about the event is when we took a trip to San Francisco.”

AccessLocal.tv reporters traveled went by train early on a Monday morning to San Jose, California. They checked in to San Jose State University to check out the dorms. Soon after, the reporters went to the Tech Museum of Innovation to watch a film that covered engineering and the history of technology.

Moving forward, the team had time to experience many of the museum’s many great attractions, including Virtual Reality booths, an earthquake simulator and more. One of these attractions had the team wear a brain data analyzer and participate in some activities. By the end of the end of the day, the device told each wearer how they were feeling throughout their experiences in the museum.

On Tuesday morning, the woke up early and ate breakfast before going on to participate in lectures from professors about energy and transportation in the United States. After that, the crew rode a bus to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. AccessLocal.tv reporters had lots of fun while exploring the beach and getting on the attractions. The day ended with a dinner at one of the restaurants in Santa Cruz.

On Wednesday, the last day of the trip, the team again had breakfast and quickly went on a bus to San Francisco for a tour at PG&E. The team learned about energy motives and how people can change it. Immediately after, the tram took a bus to the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge for a guided tour The view from the bridge gave the team an amazing view of the city of San Francisco.

There are many realities to the world. People are born differently, raised differently, know things differently. My time as a Neighborhood News Correspondent has allowed me to explore those realities that were not my own. I remember my first video I did about the Summer of Service. To me, it was a program that I have grown up with and kept me out of trouble. To other students, it was an essential part of their life. Their parents have to work year round, especially those from low-income households and do not have time to spend with their children. The Summer of Service offers a home to those kids when school is out. That video was the beginning of my journey to learn more about the world and myself.

Me During a Youth Conference

I learn that sometimes it is not just enough to put yourself in other people’s shoes. There is a more complex process to understand people and why they do what they do. Through these stories, through spending time with them, very often the entire day, I learned to know what they experience. It is when I sit down to write an article about them or make a video, that I start contemplating the deeper meaning behind their work. Whether it’s a local youth action group, legislation, or a community event, there is always a deeper story to be told, the story of South Sacramento.
To the future Neighborhood News Correspondents, I have advice for you. This internship makes you a journalist, it gives you power and opportunity under your command that many don’t have. Don’t be afraid to question anything. Do not accept the norm as it is and never accept the answer of “it has always been this way.” Be creative in your work and express all you have to yourself to demonstrate that you care about your project. It is through that process can you come to enjoy being a journalist. My biggest advice is, do not be afraid. If you are naturally shy, this program is an odyssey for you to become brave. If you are naturally brave, this program will take you to heights you never know you could go.

A teacher once told nothing is for sure in life, except for death and failure. I have failed many times and will fail many more. The Neighborhood News Correspondent program has been an experience I will never forget. I saw, I learned, I did.

I believed that in order for a community to be great, the media need to be unbiased and be built on the youth. This program gave me the opportunity to see the change I could make as a young person. Before this program, I considered myself as a rhetorical person. I am on my school debate team, I used to debate to win but now I have learned how to argue for the truth. The first few articles and videos I have done for the NNC, I admit, was done with a pre-existing bias. I made them with an intention to convince people to my side of the argument, to imposed an opinion on the audience. I’m glad to have a team to correct my mistake.

The team has done me favors I do not think I could repay in a lifetime. They taught me that bias invalidates me as a writer, as speaker, and a reporter. They taught me not with strict punishment, but with kindness and compassion. They nurture my growth as a writer, but also trust me to improve on my own.

I learned to write with the confidence that my new founded unbias has authenticated as me a trustworthy reporter- to become a reporter who is there to tell the unadulterated truth. I owe thanks of my growth to the Neighborhood News Correspondent team.

Now dear future Neighborhood News Correspondent, there are a couple of things I would advise you to do. First and foremost, do not plan a project so big you could not finish on time. I made this mistake many times and thanks to Isaac and the team I was able to correct it (for the most part). Second, change your smoke alarm battery so it would not beep when you are doing a voice over! I haven’t changed my smoke alarm in two years and Isaac was the one that pointed it out. The noise was so common that my brain did not register it anymore. Third, have fun and be yourself. For me, this program has been a path to self-discovery. I hope that you will have fun and enjoy what you do!